Carlos Lehder

Colombian-German co-founder of the Medellín Cartel. Extradited to the US in February 1987 in violation of Colombia's 1886 constitution. Served 33 years in US federal prison, released 2020; after time in Germany, returned to Colombia where he lives today.

The site's editorial premise

carloslehder.co is a documentary collection about Carlos Lehder Rivas specifically, and about the wider Narcotráfico War in Latin America as its context. The voice is sympathetic to Lehder as a man — his family, the 1987 extradition against Colombia's own constitution, the 33 years in US federal prison, his 2020 release, his time in Germany and his return to Colombia where he lives today — and critical of the US "War on Drugs" and DEA overreach that shaped his story and the region's history.

Read the current news coverage on the home page or browse the wider trafficker directory on the Famous Narcos page.